to think that the school should have...

[oodyboodyboocs]

...given parents more than 4 days notice to provide a costume for 'dress up as a Roman' day? Especially as it is so close to Christmas and we've already been asked to provide costumes/outfits for nativity productions!

Ds came out with the note on Friday (handed to him on the gate by the teacher so I know he hasn't delayed giving it to me) We had a very busy Weekend planned with various other Christmas related events and my older DS had a test relating to his secondary school application. I work Monday and Tuesday so have been spending the evening so far trying to juggle finishing work that needs to be done by tomorrow with supervising Ds cutting out and painting bits of cardboard and trying to find various bits of dressing up stuff to cobble together a costume (lucky we just moved house so have plenty of cardboard boxes lying around)

[goingmadinthecountry]

A sheet?

[MadeOfStarDust]

sheet with a string belt...

[MadeOfStarDust]

oops, sorry X-post!!

[lilyaldrin]

Roman is quite an easy one at least - any white/pale sheet/blanket/towel plus a belt.

[BananaNotPeelingWell]

I agree it shouldnt be too difficult to achieve with a sheet. But I do think all school fancy dress is a huge pita and this time of year just wearing a sheet is going to be chilly.

[oodyboodyboocs]

You'd think it would be that easy but we didn't have much storage in our last house so everyone only has one set of bedding. Sheets come off in the morning go in the wash, through the tumble dryer and back on the bed in time for them to get in it.

I quite enjoy doing costumes really it's just the ridiculously short time scale they have given us, as if we have nothing else to do but respond to their requests.

[SantanaLopez]

You wash your sheets every day?

[Wabbitty]

A long white t-shirt?

[Sparklingbrook]

Ooh great. December, a week before they break up. And they want you to dress your DS in a sheet and sandals and be a Roman.

[Binkyridesagain]

Have you got a fleecy blanket that you can cut up? DS had to dress as a roman so he went as a peasant, fleecy blanket cut long enough to cover front and back (in one long run) cut a hole in the middle for his head, sew up the sides to the armpits and then with a thin length of blanket tie a belt. If he wants shield and sword with it as well, it can pass for a centurion with the addition of a cardboard breast plate attached with string.

[NoComet]

UA absolutely totally and completely NUB!

This used to drive me mad.

I may have been a SAHM, but having to make a 10-26 mile round trip when I'd been in town the day before happened so sodding often it made me

No one at the DDs primary school lived anywhere near a shop that sells white sheets, a pint of milk or a loaf of bread was a bloody miracle!

Generally Roman senators didn't wear robes adorned with dolphins or pink ballet shoes!

[DeepThought]

we made a centurion helmet one year by attaching a broom head with cable ties to a cycle helmet

teacher got the giggles but was also appreciative of effort

[MoreCrackThanHarlem]

Dd once told me about Greek Day at 8pm the night before.
Sheet, gold plaited belt and headdress made from ivy from neighbours garden. Ta da! She looked fab. And I work full time.

If you've got time to wash your sheets everyday you've definitely got time to throw together a costume.
4 days is quite short notice, but not unreasonable imo.

[EndoplasmicReticulum]

Yanbu. What really irritates me is the lack of notice that they give. Surely someone planned "dress as a Roman" day before yesterday? I'd not want to cut up a sheet either, as pp said I need them for the bed!

If they could give a half-term's notice, or even a fortnight's, it would make things so much easier.

As it is we get three days, and if it's not over a weekend I find it really difficult.

We had three days to get school play costumes ready as for some reason they wanted them in school a fortnight before the play. Also three days for "knight or princess".
Two days for "wear spots for children in need". Drew them on a white t-shirt with a Sharpie pen!

[DrCoconut]

I always say I need a weekend in between the letter and the event otherwise I can't make it/do it.

[sykadelic15]

plus a head of twigs + leaves. Pretty quick and easy.

You were given it prior to the weekend so most people would think the w/end would give you time. I'd personally prefer a weeks notice but at least it was more than "hey I need this tomorrow"!

[Calabria]

I'm trying to see where the OP says she washes the sheets every day. I assumed she meant that on wash day the bed linen is turned around in a day.

OP YANBU

[MoreCrackThanHarlem]

Perhaps I misread re the beds.
Either way, a weekend for a fairly uncomplicated costume is not unreasonable. Not ideal, but not bad.

[oodyboodyboocs]

I don't wash the sheets every day, I just don't have any spares for dressing up in

a weekend might not be too unreasonable at any other time of the year but in the run up to Christmas they do get pretty hectic.

Also the teachers have known they would be doing this topic since before the beginning of the year as its on the whole year curriculum and I'm sure they would have already decided they were going to do the dressing up day when they started teaching the topic, so surely it wouldn't be too much to ask for them to communicate that to parents then especially as they sent home an overview of this terms work in October, which didn't mention it.

I guess it came as a bit of a surprise because their old school always let us know about things that needed doing at home for the next half term in a letter that came out before the holiday.

[silverten]

Notice or no notice I wouldn't be cutting up any sheets. They were far too expensive to waste or fancy dress, not to mention the waste!

Personally I think anything less than a good fortnight is unacceptable for fancy dress. I wouldn't appreciate being expected to drop my weekend plans at the last minute, and I'd want a decent amount of time to do a costume properly.

[Sparklingbrook]

I hate to be a misery but what is the educational value of dressing up as a Roman?

[MmmmWhiteWine]

If schools gave half a term's notice how many parents would remember come the day the costume was needed? Not many, is my guess. 4 days seems ok to me for a reasonably straightforward costume.

[Wolfiefan]

Why can't school have costumes? I've bought loads over the years. If some parents donated them then nobody would ever have to buy/make a costume if they didn't want to.

[MmmmWhiteWine]

Sparklingbrook, maybe it's fun??